Kilgore Wins Bassmaster Southern Open On Logan Martin

PELL City, Ala., — Thunder, lightning and a deluge of rain last night muddied Logan Martin Lake’s already stained water. The water level rose at least two feet and turned the tributaries feeding the lake into coffee-colored torrents.

The drastic change in conditions sent most of the pros that qualified for the Top 12 finale scrambling to find new water and fishing patterns. The anglers who claimed the Top 2 spots were able to catch bass using the same tactics that produced for them prior to Friday night’s monsoon.

David Kilgore of Jasper, Ala., sacked four solid bass today that brought his total to 46 pounds, 8 ounces. It was enough to snatch victory from Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Vinson of Alabama who finished second with 40 pounds, 15 ounces.

“I fished docks over 10 to 15 feet of water where the shad were spawning,” Kilgore said.

All but one of the bass that Kilgore brought to the scales during the three-day tournament were fat Coosa River spots. He caught 12 to 14 keepers a day the first two days. In Saturday’s final round, only one area of the lake was clear enough for his pattern to hold up.

The win earned Kilgore $10,000, a Nitro Z-9 powered by a Mercury 225 Pro XS outboard and a berth in the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville. Kilgore knows Guntersville well and is ready to compete in the world championship of bass fishing.

Vinson keyed on spawning bluegills in shallow water around flooded shoreline grass. The bream beds were too deep to see, but he caught largemouth bass wherever bluegills nipped at his Texas rigged NetBait Mini Kickin’ B craw matched with a 1/4-ounce tungsten bullet weight. This bait and a Lobina Rico popper produced all of Vinson’s bass.

“I fished different areas every day,” Vinson said. “Today I was lucky enough to find a place that didn’t get extremely muddy.”

Tennessee Elite Series pro David Walker started the day in third place, which is where he ended up with a total of 40 pounds, 11 ounces. He struggled Saturday to bag a 9-pound, 12-ounce total, due to the challenging water conditions.

“Several people asked me if the water came up today,” Walker said. “It was like a Biblical flood out there.”

Walker caught largemouth and spotted bass over the course of the tournament. His primary lures included a Koppers Frog, a Z-Man ChatterBait and a spinnerbait. As the highest finishing owner of a Toyota truck, Walker pocketed a $1,500 bonus.

Grayson Smith of Clarksville, Tenn., won the co-angler division, finishing with a three-bass limit that went 10 pounds, 3 ounces. His 24-pound, 1-ounce total allowed him to walk away with a certificate for a Triton 17 Pro bass boat with a Mercury 115 Pro XS motor.

Remarkably, Smith has qualified for the final 12 in each of the three Bassmaster Southern Opens this year. The odds are good that Smith will fish the Bassmaster Southern Opens next year as a pro. For more coverage of the tournament, visit Bassmaster.com.

Winner of the Carhartt Big Bass award of $500 on the pro side was Chris Lane for his 5-8 bass. Earning the Carhartt Big Bass award of $500 on the co-angler side was Eulon Lee Jr. for his 4-11.

Other bonuses awarded at the event for pros included: • The Livingston Lures Leader Award of $250 to the angler in the lead on Day 2: David Kilgore • The Luck-E-Strike Heavyweight Award: $250 to Chris Lane for his Day 1 bag of 18-10.

Other bonuses awarded at the event for co-anglers included: • The Livingston Lures Leader Award for the angler in the lead on Day 2: $250 in product to Bryan Talmadge • The Luck-E-Strike Heavyweight Award: $250 to James Harrison for his Day 1 bag of 11-3.